


I’ll Show You Magic

by kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-06 14:42:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18390491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullOnLarrie/pseuds/kingsofeverything
Summary: Louis didn’t mean to go home with a Muggle, and he didn’t mean to sneak out of his flat in the morning. He definitely didn’t mean to wind up in that same flat a month later, attempting to steal a magical object before the Muggle gets home.





	I’ll Show You Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cherrie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherrie/gifts).



> This was a pinch hit and I had a lot of fun with it. Hope it fits the prompt ok :) 
> 
> Thanks to Suzon @thelouistiti for running this exchange!
> 
> Thank you to my beta Nic @louandhazaf and Brit picker KK @dinosaursmate! <3
> 
> Title is from “Magic Stick” by Lil’ Kim featuring 50 Cent
> 
> **If you’d like to translate any of my fics, feel free, but please post the translation on ao3.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Please do not post this fic or any of my other fics on any other websites.**  
> [Fic post is here if you'd like to reblog.](https://kingsofeverything.tumblr.com/post/184852850940/ill-show-you-magic-by)

—

“Tommo!” Niall shouts across the locker room. “Coming to the pub?”

Louis pulls his t-shirt over his head and kicks his locker closed. He could use a drink. “That Muggle pub?”

“Yeah, the one Shawn likes. They’ve got ice hockey on tonight.”

“Alright. Yeah. I’ll be there.” He’d rather go out to a wizard pub or, better yet, a wizard club, where he could actually pull another wizard. Muggle pub means he’s almost definitely going home alone. He should’ve wanked in the shower. Louis leans down to tuck the cuffs of his grey joggers into his socks. At least he doesn’t have to go home and change. He can wear his hoodie and hold his damp hair back with the ripped off sleeve of an old t-shirt that functions as a headband. But he has to wear his wand in its thigh holster _underneath_ his joggers. Not the most convenient or comfortable thing in the world.

Louis lands at the Apparition Point closest to the pub and walks the short distance. He opens the door to a crowd and pushes his way inside, crossing the room to where Niall is waving at him from the end of the bar. 

“How’d you get seats? It’s packed!”

“Yeah, every Canadian in England’s in here, I think.” Niall squeezes Shawn’s arm and says, “Shawn got here early and claimed our seats.”

“Thanks, mate.” Louis climbs onto the stool next to Shawn, leans forward and catches Niall’s eye. “Thought Liam was coming?”

“Nah, he’s got a date, I think.” Niall turns his attention to Shawn and Louis sits back. There’s a pint in front of him. Maybe he’ll just have the one beer and go home. He didn’t realise he’d be the third wheel. 

While he drinks his pint, Louis watches the hockey game, which he follows fairly easily, but once he’s down to the last sip, he looks for the barman to settle his tab so he can go home. Instead, he’s faced with dimples and green eyes and another full pint to replace the one he just finished. 

“Oh, thanks.” Louis lifts his glass and the man smiles wider. “Have you been here all night?”

The man snorts, which shouldn’t be attractive. He rests his hands flat on the bartop and leans forward. “That the best you’ve got?”

Louis shakes his head. “No, not… It wasn’t a line. I just, um… didn’t see you. Before. And I think I… Well, I would’ve noticed you.”

“That’s a line.” He stands up straight again, folds his arms across his chest and cocks his hip to the side. 

“I, um…” A blush fights its way up Louis’ neck and his ears burn. He didn’t intend it as a line and wasn’t trying to flirt, especially not with a Muggle. 

“I’m Harry, by the way. And you didn’t see me ’cause you were busy watching that.” He nods towards the big screen television that most of the rest of the patrons are staring at. 

“Oh, I wasn’t really watching. I…” Louis looks to his left, but Shawn and Niall are too wrapped up in each other to pay attention. “I came with them. Didn’t realise they were on a date. Was about to leave, actually.”

“Did you not want that?” Harry points at the full pint in front of Louis. “Sorry. I assumed.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I was only leaving ’cause I didn’t have anyone to talk to. But, um… I’ll stick around and finish this.” Louis lifts his glass and takes a sip while keeping his eyes locked on Harry’s, then he sets it back down and licks his lips. A little innocent flirting can’t hurt. And it’s only one more beer. “If that’s alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s, um… That’s good.” Harry bites his lower lip and watches Louis for a few seconds, then spins around and grabs a menu from the stack behind him. “Want something to eat?”

—

Harry fumbles with the keys, dropping them and somehow catching them in his other hand before they hit the ground. He giggles and leans his forehead against the door while he unlocks it, giggling again when he pushes the door open and Louis stumbles across the threshold with his lips attached to the salty skin of Harry’s neck and his hands tight on Harry’s hips. They manage not to fall down, but it’s a close thing. 

“Bedroom?” Louis mumbles the question against Harry’s lips and follows him as he backs across the living room, pulling Louis after him. 

It was the third pint that did it. Three pints and he won’t let himself apparate. As soon as Harry looked at his empty glass with raised eyebrows and Louis nodded, any hope of ending the night somewhat sober vanished. After the fourth pint, he devised a completely unethical plan involving memory charms. After the fifth pint, he forgot about that plan and started working on a new one in which he’d go home with Harry, fuck his brains out, and discover that Harry was a wizard in disguise all along. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite figure out how to guarantee that, and so that plan fell by the wayside as well. He’s not sure which number pint it was that made him decide he didn’t actually care if Harry was a wizard or not. Maybe it was the glass of water that Harry kept surreptitiously filling when he thought Louis wasn’t paying attention. 

Harry’s bedroom is dark, the only light coming from the pink Lava lamp on the dresser, and the glow casts shadows that seem to dance over the walls. He feels like he walked into a uni student’s room. 

Louis clears his throat, leaning his head back to let Harry continue kissing his Adam’s apple while he asks, “How, um… How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.” Harry’s lips brush against his ear. “Why?”

“I… I don’t know.” Louis shakes his head. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t typically bother to ask his hookups their age or about their jobs or their names, for that matter. Unless they offer information, he doesn’t pry, preferring to know as little as possible. That way he figures it’s obvious what he wants and what he doesn’t. “Just wondered.”

Rather than talk and take the chance of ruining things, Louis kisses him, slipping his tongue inside Harry’s mouth while working to undo his flies. They stumble across the room, both of them attempting to take each other’s clothes off, until Harry falls onto the bed, laughing. “I’ll do me, you do you?”

“Well, I could’ve done that at home, but okay.” Louis pulls off his hoodie and just before he pushes his joggers down, he remembers that his wand holster is strapped to his right thigh. He glances up at Harry. “Bathroom?”

“Oh, yeah, um, sorry. Out the door, to your left.” Harry sits up and bends down to take off his shoes. 

“You got a flatmate?” 

Harry shakes his head. “I mean, I do, but he’s out.”

As soon as he shuts the bathroom door behind him, Louis pushes his joggers and pants to the floor, unstraps his wand holster, wraps it and his wand in his discarded joggers, and carries them back to Harry’s room. He finds his hoodie on the floor by his shoes and pushes everything into a pile. It’s best if he doesn’t forget anything when he leaves. 

He stands at the foot of the bed, watching Harry struggle a bit to take his jeans off, and slowly jerks himself to hardness. 

Harry grunts and kicks himself free, sitting up to yank his t-shirt over his head. He watches Louis touch himself, shrugs and settles back on the bed, hand wrapped tight around his cock, matching Louis’ strokes. 

Louis climbs onto the bed, kneeling between Harry’s legs. The pink light makes the room seem warmer, tinting their skin, and throwing the dips and curves and angles of Harry’s body into relief. He was gorgeous in the poor lighting of the pub and the bright street lights, but spread out naked in the middle of his bed, he’s breathtaking, and for the first time all night, Louis regrets coming home with him. It’s going to be hard to leave in the morning. 

Shaking his head, Louis inches his way closer. He watches Harry wank, but slows the movement of his own hand, and asks, “This what you want?”

“No, but—” Harry swipes his thumb over the head of his dick and his hips jerk in response. “Want you to touch me.”

Louis nods and lays the palm of his hand on Harry's thigh, rubbing against the grain of his leg hair until his thumb almost touches his balls. “Want me to touch you here?”

“Yeah.” Harry props himself up on his elbows. “Can you fuck me or are you too drunk?”

“I…” On nights like this, especially on the rare occasion he ends up going home with a Muggle, he usually sticks to blow jobs and hand jobs. It’s too much trouble otherwise, and he’s just more accustomed to using spells instead of condoms and lube and fingers. But Harry looks up at him and Louis finds himself agreeing before he realises what he’s saying. “Yeah, no, of course. I can do that.” At least he has the presence of mind to ask Harry to turn over.

It’s kind of like riding a bike. When he pushes his slick finger inside, he wonders why he doesn’t do it that way every time. The heat of Harry’s body around one finger, then two, and three, only serves to make Louis want him more. And by the time he rolls the condom on and smears Harry’s banana flavored lube over it, he thinks he’s probably been missing out. 

Somehow the layer of latex helps him focus, the unfamiliar sensation keeping him from losing himself completely in Harry’s body. He pushes in carefully, his hips coming to rest against Harry’s arse, and he stops there, trailing his hands over Harry’s lower back while he tries to find his bearings. 

“You okay?” he whispers and when Harry looks back over his shoulder and nods, Louis grips his hips. Shallow thrusts are all he can manage at first, because the tightness around his cock is almost unbearable, and before he’s ready for it, Harry rocks back to meet him and Louis grunts. He closes his eyes, digging his fingertips into Harry’s soft skin, and Harry moans, grinding against him.

“You can… You can do it hard.” Harry shifts forward slightly and slams himself back onto Louis’ dick. “Like—”

Before Harry can give him any further instructions, Louis pulls back and drives forward, punching a sharp breath out of him. Fucking him hard and fast, Louis spares a second to wonder why he was bothering to take it slow in the first place. They don’t know each other. And they both know what tonight is. 

There’s no way he’ll last long, not when it’s been months since the last time he fucked anyone. Not when he dicks in deep, finding Harry’s prostate, and Harry falls forward onto his face. Not when the change in angle means he hits Harry right where he needs almost every time he thrusts inside. Not when Harry groans. 

He speeds up, letting go of Harry’s hips and pulling his arse cheeks apart, watching as Harry takes all of him so easily, but he’s too close to hold off. Sliding his hand around, Louis fists Harry’s cock, bringing him to his climax just before he reaches his own. 

Harry whines and drops down onto the mattress, and in the haze of his orgasm, Louis does what he always does after sex. He cleans up. A quick non-verbal spell that he doesn’t even realise he’s doing until it’s done. Louis freezes there on his knees between Harry’s spread legs. Maybe he didn’t feel it. Maybe he’s too fucked out to notice that every drop of lube Louis slicked him up with disappeared. Maybe. 

Even though he vanished the condom full of his come, Louis says, “Be right back.” and is in Harry’s bathroom so fast, he may as well have apparated there. He returns with a damp flannel to ‘clean’ the mess that isn’t there, and it doesn’t seem like Harry noticed anything strange. Maybe he’s just that tired. 

“You can stay. It’s late.” Harry rolls onto his side, pulling the duvet over himself and facing away, and Louis makes what is probably his hundredth mistake of the night.

“Yeah. I’ll stay.” He climbs under the covers, facing Harry’s back, but not touching him until Harry scoots towards him, fitting himself against the curve of Louis’ body. 

When he wakes up in the early morning, Louis carefully gets out of bed, grabs his things, and apparates home from Harry’s bathroom without even getting dressed. 

—

“Tommo!” Niall shouts across the locker room. “Coming to the pub?”

Louis groans and lets his head fall back, blinking up at the ceiling. As much as he’d like to have a drink or four or five, he can’t. He shakes his head. “I’ve got paperwork.” 

“Too bad, mate. You deserve it after today.”

“Next time.” Louis raises his wand to dry his hair and Niall pulls the locker room door open.

“Yeah, next week? You haven’t been out—”

“Next Friday. We’ll go out then.” Louis rushes the words out before Niall can say anything more. Niall nods and after the door shuts behind him, Louis sits down on the bench in front of his locker, shoulders slumping as he rests his forearms on his knees. He slides his wand into his forearm holster and sits up straighter. It’s been more than a month since he’s been out after work. More than a month since the night with Harry.

Louis sighs at the memory. Harry was beautiful and kind and funny and quick and clever and all of that was before they even left the pub together. When he snuck out of Harry’s flat, he felt sick. He’d never had to force himself to walk away from a one night stand before, especially a Muggle one. Those were _always_ no strings, he knew that going in. 

He should go out and pull and get fucked hard enough to forget about Harry, and maybe he will next weekend. 

As soon as Louis is dressed in his grey joggers and hoodie, he heads to his office. Despite magic and despite technology and despite the efforts to help the two work in harmony, paperwork is still a thing. At least they get to have iPhones. 

In the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, Louis sees a lot of charmed iPhones that wind up in the hands of Muggles. He fills out probably a dozen forms about those iPhones before his own phone vibrates in his pocket. 

_**Liam:** Magical figurine at a Muggle flat. When can you get here?_

_**Louis:** Can’t you get it?_

_**Liam:** It’s charmed. Stabbed me when I tried to take it._

_**Louis:** Nearest Apparition Point?_

As soon as Liam sends him the location, he closes his eyes, turns on the spot, and disapparates. 

No matter how many times he does it, and despite knowing that he has to do it, it’s always uncomfortable apparating somewhere unknown. He stumbles a bit when he lands, reaching out for the brick wall in front of him.

“Tommo,” Liam says, and Louis stands up straight. 

“Didn’t know you were on tonight, Li.”

“I wasn’t actually.” Liam leads him into the building through a back entrance and Louis follows him inside and up the stairs while Liam talks. “Kind of funny, but I was over at my, um… You know I’m Muggleborn, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I knew that. Why?” 

“Well, my best mate since I was in nappies is a Muggle. And we, um, we started dating recently. But it’s his flatmate who bought the ceramic figurine.”

“So, your boyfriend’s a Muggle?” 

“Yeah.” Liam folds his arms across his chest and says, “And so’s his flatmate. Like, no knowledge of our world at all.”

“Right. Sorry. The flatmate’s home?”

“No, actually.” Liam shakes his head. “He’s at work.”

“Easy peasy, then.” Louis pats his forearm, checking on his wand, and follows Liam up to the second floor, stopping in front of the flat right across from the stairs. 

Liam walks right in, ushering Louis into the kitchen. He pushes Louis right over to the window and points. “I was helping Zayn wash up and reached over that.” Liam jabs his finger in the air about two feet in front of a small white ceramic hedgehog. “And it must be able to sense magic. Try to touch it.”

Slowly, Louis extends his right hand, then inches his way closer. It’s about four inches tall with a slot in the back. A bank. Cute. When his fingertips are just a few inches from touching the figurine, it turns from glossy white ceramic to completely lifelike. Louis smiles and runs his knuckle over the hedgehog’s spines.

“Adorable.” Louis holds his hand out palm up in front of the hedgehog and it gingerly steps into his hand and curls up. “Not sure what the problem is, Li.” 

Louis turns away from the sink, lowering his hand to his side to slide the hedgehog into the front pocket of his hoodie. Before he can, the hedgehog’s spines stiffen, pricking his skin and making him yelp. He almost drops it, fumbling as he sets it in the counter. It instantly turns into the glossy, white ceramic bank it was before. 

“See? It like, senses that you’re not the owner and you’re trying to take it.” Liam checks over his shoulder at the sound of the flat door.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? At the Ministry, we could break the charm, but we wouldn’t need to if we could get it out of here.”

“Convince him to sell it to you? This is your area of expertise, mate. But think of something fast. Sounds like he’s home early from the pub.”

It’s been years since Louis was in the field, he spends most of his days behind a desk, and he’s never had to try to sweet talk a Muggle before. At least, not in any work-related manner. He groans and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Fuck me.”

“I don’t think so, Louis.” Louis whips his head around at Harry’s voice. “If that’s your real name.”

“Ha—” Louis coughs into his fist. “Harry. I…”

“You know each other?” Liam looks from Louis to Harry and back again. “How?”

Louis presses his lips together and hums, trying to calm his racing heart. 

“We slept together and he snuck out the next morning.” Harry shakes his head and laughs quietly. 

“I… I, um—”

A short, loud laugh escapes Liam before he covers his grin with his hand. He points at Louis and then at Harry and says, “Right, well, um… Since there’s no need to introduce you, I’m going to leave you two alone, if that’s alright?” Liam backs into the living room, which Louis now recognises from that night. “Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“Louis and I went to school together.”

“Oh?” Harry frowns and looks back at Louis. How perfectly _Liam_ of Liam. If Louis winds up having to _tell_ Harry, Liam has just let him know that he’s not only aware of it, but that he’s a wizard as well. 

Louis coughs and waves Liam off. “I—”

“Why are you here?” Harry scowls and crosses his arms, tipping his chin down. He’s intimidating and Louis’ stomach twists, his fight or flight response out of practice, until Harry says, “You didn’t leave anything behind. I checked.” He immediately looks away. Then Louis’ stomach and heart sort of switch places before quickly switching back, and he’s filled with regret. 

“I, um… Well, it’s a coincidence, really.”

“Really.”

“Yes, um, yeah. Liam and I, we work together, or like, in the same building anyway, but he called because of that.” Louis points to the hedgehog bank, trying to come up with a believable lie. “I… I collect them. And that’s… That one’s really rare.”

Harry raises his eyebrows.

“Not— Not that it’s worth much. Just, you know, to collectors like me. Sentimental value, mostly.”

“Right.” Harry picks up the hedgehog bank and cradles it in his hand. “Tell me more.”

Relieved that Harry seems to believe him, Louis relaxes. “Well, it’s really… I love a good piggy bank. Well, not a piggy, but… You know? It’s not often you find one in that condition. So… Shiny!”

“Shiny?” Harry’s eyebrows draw together and it’s not at all endearing.

“Yeah, um… The glaze on the ceramic. Indicative of the, um… Early Modern movement in ceramic animal banks.”

“Louis?”

“Yeah?”

“You are _absolutely_ full of shit.” 

“I…” 

“Tell me why you’re really here.” Harry turns and sets the hedgehog on the counter behind him. “Is this like a booty call, only you just show up?”

“I… No. No, I’m here for the hedgehog.” Louis clenches his jaw and fights the laugh bubbling up inside him. At least it’s not the most ridiculous thing he’s ever said.

Harry narrows his eyes. “Fine. It’s yours. Stupid thing will only remind me of you now anyway.” He picks up the ceramic bank and tosses it across the kitchen to Louis, who catches it with both hands, tucking the now lifelike hedgehog in the pocket of his hoodie where it feels like it falls asleep. He strokes one finger over the spines to be sure it’s there. At least now that Harry gave it to him, it won’t stab him. 

“Thanks, Harry.” Louis looks around the room, but there’s no reason to linger. “And um, I… I’m sorry.”

A quiet grunt is all the response Harry gives.

“I am. Sorry. Really. I didn’t… That night? I didn’t mean to hurt you. Or like, I guess, I didn’t mean to actually go home with you. It was—”

“A mistake. I get it. Let me guess, you, um... don’t typically chat up the barman when you go out? Just looking for an easy lay? Didn’t think I’d get attached? I mean, I probably do this all the time, right?”

“I wasn’t—”

“Whatever, Louis. I’ve probably heard whatever excuse you’ve got, so don’t try me. I had a shit night at work and then you’re here, and like… It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter _why._ You should go.”

Louis bites his lip, looking down at his shoes. Harry’s right. It doesn’t matter. “For what it’s worth, the _why_ is all me. Nothing to do with you. I… I’d have stayed. If I could’ve. I didn’t… I don’t… Never mind. I’ll… Bye.” 

He nods once, avoiding Harry’s confused expression, and turns to leave the kitchen. Liam must’ve been eavesdropping because he meets Louis by the door and walks him downstairs. “Sorry about that, mate. Didn’t know you, um… had a history with Harry.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I tell you every time I pull.” Louis shrugs and walks towards the Apparition Point and Liam follows. 

“Yeah, and it’s not like you pull Muggles. Like, ever. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a problem with them.”

“No, no.” Louis shakes his head. “I just don’t want the trouble. Like, the last time I, um, well, you met Jake.”

Liam shoves Louis’ shoulder and rolls his eyes. “Jake was a dickhead. That’s nothing to do with him being a Muggle.”

“He was— He _is_ a dickhead. But when I told him, he lost it. Like, it was scary, and if I hadn’t had my wand…”

“I know, mate. I had to file the paperwork on his memory modification.”

Louis sighs quietly. “Yeah.” 

“You’re not—” Liam claps his hand on Louis’ shoulder and turns him so they’re face to face. “You’re not writing off all Muggles because of one dickhead.”

“I… Not intentionally.” After he and Jake broke up—though breaking up is too civil a term—he didn’t date anyone for a while. The first time he pulled, he did so at a Wizarding club. And he just… kept it up. Pulled a Muggle a few months before Harry and the entire time they were together, Louis was paranoid of giving himself away, so he decided it was easier to narrow the dating pool to Wizards only. 

“Okay, well, not trying to tell you what to do, but Harry’s off tomorrow night, and I’m taking Zayn out, so…”

“I’m not going to show up at his door! I’ve already fucked that up, mate. Not looking for him to actually hate me.”

“Nah, Harry’s not like that.” Liam guides Louis to the Apparition Point and takes a step back. “Pretty sure you can tell him the truth. See you at the Ministry tomorrow?”

Louis nods, turns, and Apparates home.

—

Most of the night Louis tosses and turns and groans up at the ceiling. There’s not a single reason he can think of to tell Harry the truth at this point, not when they’ll probably pretend not to know each other if they ever meet in public after this. But he can’t stop thinking about it. 

At work, Louis sees Liam twice. Typically they might see each other once a day, usually at lunch. They work on completely different floors and ends of the building and Louis is just not willing to make that hike and they won’t let him take a broom. He’s asked. But Liam stops by Louis’ office two times. With passable tea in the morning and again in the afternoon. 

He doesn’t even say anything, his presence is enough of a reminder of Harry. 

At six o’clock, Louis takes the floo home, showers and changes out of his Ministry robes. In a soft grey jumper and faded jeans, Louis hopes he looks convincingly Muggle. He apparates to the closest public Apparition Point, brushing his fringe to the side as soon as he lands. It’s a short walk to Harry’s and hopefully the bottle of wine and Thai food will at least get Harry to listen for a moment. 

Louis takes a few deep breaths before ringing the bell. He closes his eyes, listening for footsteps, taking a shuddering breath when he hears them. As soon as the door opens, Louis opens his eyes and Harry meets his gaze. “Harry, I, um… I’ll leave right now, if you’d like. But I want to explain. To tell you the truth. If that’s okay?” 

Harry crosses his arms and looks pointedly at the bags in Louis’ hands.

“Dinner?” Louis asks hopefully.

Harry scoffs. “We’ll see. You tell me the truth first.” He steps aside and says, “Put the food in the kitchen.”

He watches as Louis sets the bags on the counter. There’s no use drawing it out, but there’s no way of easing into it either. Louis reaches into one of the bags and pulls out the lifelike hedgehog, turning to face Harry as the animal curls up in his palm. 

“I wanted to show you—”

“Oh my god, a tiny hedgehog!” Harry steps into Louis’ space and Louis freezes in place. He holds the hedgehog out to Harry, who reaches for it with both hands. Gingerly, he picks it up, cooing and then gasping as soon as he lifts it further away from Louis’ hand and it transforms back into white ceramic. Louis catches it before it hits the ground, holding the lifelike hedgehog up again. 

Harry blinks and takes a step back. “How’d you do that?”

“I’ve always had quick reflexes.” 

“Not— No, Louis, not how’d you catch it.”

“Oh, um… magic.” Louis shrugs one shoulder. He might as well just be honest. “There’s a, um… There’s a magical community around the world that remains hidden from Muggle view. Non-magical, I mean. Like you.”

Harry’s eyes search his face and then a sputtering laugh seems to take him by surprise. He slaps his hand over his mouth, but he can’t stop his giggles, which become louder the harder he tries to hold them in. They’d be infectious if Louis wasn’t being laughed at. 

“I’m serious.” Louis frowns. “It’s the only reason I left after that night. I wouldn’t’ve otherwise.” 

Harry stops laughing and sits up straight. “Are you serious? This is like, Zaphod Beeblebrox at a fancy dress party, except I don’t believe you, Louis. You’re— You're—” Harry snorts. “You almost sound like you mean it!” He hiccups and that sends him into a fit of giggles so intense that Louis wonders if he might be sick from it. 

It’s the only thing stopping him from talking over Harry, but then Harry looks at him and rolls his eyes.

“I’m not lying. Or like, delusional or anything.” Louis pushes back the sleeve of his jumper and pulls his wand from his holster. “This is my wand.”

“Oh!” Harry manages before dissolving into laughter again. 

This is not… This is not at all what he expected. It takes Louis a moment to pull it together, but as soon as he does, a tiny giggle bubbles up. Harry’s reaction is much more appropriate than Jake’s screaming. 

“I really—” Louis covers his mouth with the back of his hand, unable to stop another quiet snort. “I really _am_ though. Liam is too. It’s why he said that about us going to school together. We went to a magical boarding school in Scotland.”

Harry laughs so hard he wheezes, and Louis can’t help but join in. It really does sound quite ridiculous.

Sighing, Louis wipes his eyes. He takes a deep breath and looks at Harry, whose face is bright red, and who still doesn’t believe him. He points his wand at the television and turns it on. Harry quiets instantly. “No way.”

Louis flicks his wand at the television and turns it off, then back on again. He flicks it on and off a few more times, delighting in the little gasps that Harry doesn’t seem to realise he’s making every time the screen comes to life. “Are you…” Louis doesn’t know how to ask if Harry’s going to start laughing hysterically again.

“I… I don’t understand, but I believe you. I think?” Harry reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, tapping at the screen. “Texting Liam.” 

“Oh. Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea, actually.” Louis hums quietly and waits while Harry stares at his phone. “What did you ask him?”

Harry looks up, meeting Louis’ eyes. _“‘Are you a magician?’_ He replied like, right away that he’s a wizard, not a magician. So, I… I think I maybe need to sit down.”

“Are you okay? Can I do anything?”

“No.” Harry shakes his head and walks into the living room, dropping onto the couch. Not knowing what else to do, Louis stands in the kitchen, wondering if he should make tea. But before he can decide, Harry turns his head and looks over the back of the couch. “I’m hungry, actually. Can you?” 

He nods at the bags on the counter and Louis jumps. “Oh! Yeah! I can— Plates and stuff?”

Harry grins and points at the cupboard to Louis’ right. “Can you pour me a glass of wine? I think I’ll probably need it while you’re explaining.”

“Yes. Of course.” Louis bites his lip, trying to keep calm while he gets their dinner ready, too nervous to speak. He points his wand at the plates and levitates them into the living room, carrying the wine himself. They each take a few sips before Louis says, “What do you want to know?” 

—

“Tommo!” Niall shouts across the locker room. “Coming to the pub?”

Louis tugs his t-shirt over his head and shakes his damp hair out. “Which pub?”

“Depends. Harry working tonight?”

“Yeah.” Louis nods and presses his lips together, but the corners of his mouth turn up anyway.

Niall grins. “Then we’re going to the Muggle pub.” 

—


End file.
